India & Himalayas

Nice mask from Sri Lanka

Q: I bought this in a sale in the 1970’s and still don’t know where it came from or how old it might be. Since then it has been in my attic. Do you have any ideas?  Andrew, 1185

A:  This is a large Sri Lankan mask probably representing the demon, Maura Raksha. Do a little research on Google and you to learn more. I my opinion, it is a very decorative piece. It is probably 50-75 years old. Though it was never used, it is a great carving. Try getting the color restored… if it doesn’t cost too much. Enjoy this nice piece of art.

 

One Comment

  • Britania

    This is such a beautifully carved and colored mask. This mask may be from Bali, however, because i have a Barong-Ket mask that has a similar markings and attributes to the one above. It may be from a specific region in Bali that carves gods in this way because the website http://www.worldtribalmasks.com has there entire stock of masks almost entirely in this style. The eyes, nose, teeth, crown and winged filagree appear in almost of the masks on the site. The mask shown here is much more unique than the ones on the world tribal mask site and may even be a progenitor to the masks of the latter!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

I accept the Privacy Policy